The Abrahamic Fallacy: Why Abraham is not a point of unity for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity

The phrase ‘Abrahamic religion’ or ‘faith of Abraham’ was first promoted in ecumenical circles during the 1950’s and 1960’s by Lebanese Maronite priest, Youakim Moubarak, whose theological vision was political, of an ‘egalitarian Palestine in which Jews, Christians and Muslims demonstrate together its abrahamic and ecumenical vocation’.

In reality, however, Abraham is a divisive figure: in Judaism he is the Torah-observant father of the Jewish nation; for Christians he is the apostle of salvation by faith alone; for Muslims he is the proto-typical Muslim, a forerunner and validator of Muhammad.

Moubarak took the phrase ‘religion of Abraham’ from the Koran and his promotion of it is a manifestation of dhimmi theology, a worldview constrained by existential fear, psychological accommodation and denial. In fact the ‘Abrahamic vocation’ inspired by the Koran leads to Islamization and sharia implementation. The current state of the Middle East offers eloquent testimony to the hollowness of this vision.

Dr. Mark Durie is an academic, human rights activist, Anglican pastor, a Shillman-Ginsburg Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and Adjunct Research Fellow of the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.